The World of the Non-Living

Posted: September 3
From: Urashima Kotetsu

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Do you think swords are boring? Someone told me that. I don't think its true. ( He sounds a little annoyed too but not too much. It's more like a kid whining than anything else. ) You know, there are a lot of different kinds of swords and that's really interesting!

For example, I use a wakizashi. It's short so it can't reach very far but that means I can move a lot easier in small places. I have to work harder to get close to my opponent but if I can do it and their weapon is too big, they won't be able to hit me very well. I think it's fun to see how close I can get.

I've also seen a sword that was a thousand years old! I think it was magic too but I don't know. Isn't that cool? There are a lot of different types of swords and even more styles so it's fun to learn about them.

( There's a bit of silence. He's thinking about what he just said. It's really cool, right? And not boring at all? )

Hey! Does anyone want to practice with me? It'll be fun. I'm pretty sharp, heh heh heh~

( And quietly, at the very end, there's a mutter, )

It'll be more fun than practicing math... ... Aaaah! I didn't mean to say that...!

( The video is normal enough! Urashima props his phone up so it's at a good angle and holds up a poster for everyone to see. )

Look! There's going to be a lot of haunted houses in this park soon! Everyone should go! It looks like a lot of fun!

( And he sets the poster down next to Kamekichi, his always sleeping turtle. Right now, she appears to have a cooling washcloth on her shell. It's hot, guys. Summer is here. Someone get this turtle to a cool pond. )

Hmm... you know, it's that time of year, too! Isn't that fun? Maybe we can tell each other ghost stories! I'll start, I'll start!

Have you ever heard of tsukumogami? They're spirits that live in "things." I think the scariest one is Boroboroton! Boroboroton is an angry futon spirit. If you don't take care of your futon, it'll come to life, throw you out of bed, and cover your face. Isn't that scary? So you should take care of your things before they get angry!

( He isn't very good at this ghost story thing and he has twenty more stories just like this one. )

What do you think?